COUNCIL tax looks set to be frozen for the next year for Winchester residents.

Budget proposals put forward for 2012/2013, and approved by cabinet members at Winchester City Council, set the rate at £126.27 for band D, the same as last year.

Winchester City Council cabinet members were also told at the meeting about how funds would be distributed over the next year.

Cllr Keith Wood, lead member for finance and estates, there would also not be any cuts to the council’s “mainline services”, but that the budget took a conservative approach and would not pretend the situation was better than it was.

The government has said that all local authorities that freeze council tax will receive an additional one year grant equivalent to having set a 2.5 per cent increase, a council report stated.

Council leader, Cllr George Beckett, said the administration had weighed up carefully the issue of not increasing council tax by the rate of inflation despite the compensation because it might be “piling up problems for the future”, and had decided to go ahead but take this into account.

Council officer Alexis Garlick agreed that the one-off sum did not compensate for the cumulative future effect.

At the meeting, Cllr Wood outlined how the council would maintain the level of voluntary sector grants choosing this over setting up a kerbside glass collection service because it was judged more important.

The meeting heard that to set up the collection would need £200,000 with the same sum again to run it each year.

“It’s difficult to see in the present financial climate that it would be sensible to take on such a large continuing commitment so I have deferred it again this year,” he said.

He said they were continuing to assess the River Park Leisure Centre on whether the council should build a new complex or renovate the existing one and were hoping to progress plans for a new community centre in Weeke.

Members’ allowances will also be frozen.